I'm not sure if the Regs allowed separately bare earths.

[MFS Electrical]

Every thing is boarded carpeted and plastered.

I know you can’t physically trace it but if you test it like I say above you should be all good

 

[SparkyChick]

Tough Rubber Sheathed maybe?

 

[MFS Electrical]

Tough Rubber Sheathed maybe?

Don’t think I’ve ever seen that

 

[freddo]

and two lead cables of 2.5.

2.5mm Lead cables?!?

Don’t think I’ve ever seen that

There's many miles of the stuff still in use in Devon, some in terrible condition. Have some old magazines here that stated a safe working life of only 10-15 years

 

[sham]

Old lead cables probably wonderful stuff the rest of the cables in the house aren’t lead are they?

Now you mention it, how would I know if the lighting cables are lead. I just assumed they are copper. The system is mixed. The sockets are wired with stranded cables here and there, as long with the lights. There has been changed since.

 

[SparkyChick]

2.5mm Lead cables?!?

There's many miles of the stuff still in use in Devon, some in terrible condition. Have some old magazines here that stated a safe working life of only 10-15 years

Am I right in thinking freddo TRS is the thick black rubber sheathed stuff that's a real nightmare to cut?

And VIR is the cloth/cotton covered singles?

 

[MFS Electrical]

2.5mm Lead cables?!?

There's many miles of the stuff still in use in Devon, some in terrible condition. Have some old magazines here that stated a safe working life of only 10-15 years

Horrible stuff i remember a few years ago attending a fault that was caused by the lead sheath being compressed and nicking the cores couldn’t for the life of me figure out what it was as someone had replace the CU and Extended the lead with PVC

 

[SparkyChick]

Now you mention it, how would I know if the lighting cables are lead. I just assumed they are copper. The system is mixed. The sockets are wired with stranded cables here and there, as long with the lights. There has been changed since.

Lead cables have an outer sheath of lead.

If the conductors of the cables you're looking at appear silver, they are either tinned copper or if they feel very flexible but break easily, they could be aluminium.

 

[sham]

2.5mm Lead cables?!?

There's many miles of the stuff still in use in Devon, some in terrible condition. Have some old magazines here that stated a safe working life of only 10-15 years

Metal, I assumed they were frozen, cold.

 

[sham]

Horrible stuff i remember a few years ago attending a fault that was caused by the lead sheath being compressed and nicking the cores couldn’t for the life of me figure out what it was as someone had replace the CU and Extended the lead with PVC

It really messed up my continuity test.

 

[MFS Electrical]

Metal, I assumed they were frozen, cold.

Yeah if they felt frozen they’d be lead sheathed just wondering if the rest of the wiring was the same don’t think aluminium was really ever a viable conductor here except in SWAs but @SparkyChick is right on how to identify it

 

[sham]

Lead cables have an outer sheath of lead.

If the conductors of the cables you're looking at appear silver, they are either tinned copper or if they feel very flexible but break easily, they could be aluminium.

They are not weak, but because I scraped the bare end because it looked dirty it seemed silver underneath, is this an issue ?

 

[sham]

Lead cables have an outer sheath of lead.

If the conductors of the cables you're looking at appear silver, they are either tinned copper or if they feel very flexible but break easily, they could be aluminium.

They are not weak, but because I scraped the bare end because it looked dirty it seemed silver underneath, is this an issue ?

Yeah if they felt frozen they’d be lead sheathed just wondering if the rest of the wiring was the same don’t think aluminium was really ever a viable conductor here except in SWAs but @SparkyChick is right on how to identify it

All seem disconnected. That is the only lead I found.

 

[SparkyChick]

They are not weak, but because I scraped the bare end because it looked dirty it seemed silver underneath, is this an issue ?

It's hard to say from a distance.

It all depends on what you scraped.

 

[MFS Electrical]

Am I right in thinking freddo TRS is the thick black rubber sheathed stuff that's a real nightmare to cut?

And VIR is the cloth/cotton covered singles?

Not too sure on the TRS as I’ve never seen it but VIR is definitely the cloth cotton covered rubber kinda looks a bit like skanky iron flex but most of it that you’ve probably encountered has had the rubber completely disintegrate and fall off I worked for the council in my area years ago and encountered it in the town hall all crispy and horrid caused problems after problems but as far as I’m aware is still in service now because they didn’t want to pay to rewire it

 

[SparkyChick]

To add... aluminium cable is a nightmare. I've done a couple of jobs where the conductors have been nicely dressed into the back box, but just taking the socket off has snapped them.

I think the aluminium becomes work hardened by merely bending it (like copper will) but more quicker. Hard metal normally means brittle metal, so you have to be very careful working with it.

 

[MFS Electrical]

To add... aluminium cable is a nightmare. I've done a couple of jobs where the conductors have been nicely dressed into the back box, but just taking the socket off has snapped them.

I think the aluminium becomes work hardened by merely bending it (like copper will) but more quicker. Hard metal normally means brittle metal, so you have to be very careful working with it.

And if the sheath is damaged or there is any damp the Aluminium will sort of corrode (oxidise)and significantly reduce the conductivity and mechanical strength

 

[sham]

It's hard to say from a distance.

It all depends on what you scraped.

The wiring seems the old singles that go through galvanised conduits, the wires have grey sheath followed by red insulated wire. The red insulation seems good. The nuetrals outer sheath appears darker, could say black or like that because it's old followed by black insulation then bare wire. The cores are stranded and seem strong. And thicker than 1.5 mm.

 

[SparkyChick]

The wiring seems the old singles that go through galvanised conduits, the wires have grey sheath followed by red insulated wire. The red insulation seems good. The nuetrals outer sheath appears darker, could say black or like that because it's old followed by black insulation then bare wire. The cores are stranded and seem strong. And thicker than 1.5 mm.

Sounds to me like double insulated singles. Imperial size. The conductor is most likely to be tinned copper.

 

[sham]

Sounds to me like double insulated singles. Imperial size. The conductor is most likely to be tinned copper.

Is this an issue.